Container discharging apparatus



Nov. 1, 1938., H. msis'sn 7 2,134,955,

CONTAINER DIS CHARGING APPARATUS /l A/V H. R/SSFR Patented Nov. 1, 1938UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE CONTAINER DISCHARGING APPARATUS ApplicationJune 15,1937, Serial No. 148,315

4 Claims.

This invention relates to container discharging apparatus, and moreparticularly pertains to such apparatus in connection with containercleaning machines.

One of the objects of the invention is to provide suchdischarging-apparatus of the simplest construction that will eflicientlytransfer containers, such as bottles, from a conveyor upon which theyare conveyed through the machine in inverted position, to a conveyor forconveying the containers from the machine in upright position.

A further object of the invention is to provide such dischargingapparatus that will be most efficient in connection with a cleaningmachine in which the bottles are intermittently advanced in invertedposition within bottle holders or bottleneck-receiving pockets, whichpockets are arranged to position the bottles in reclining position at agiven station to be discharged.

Other objects and advantages will become more apparent by reference tothe specification and the accompanying drawings, in which:

Fig. l is a side elevation of a cleaning machine incorporating thedischarging means of the invention, with parts broken away and otherparts in section.

Fig. 2 is a sectional elevation of the discharge end of the machine, asmay be taken along a plane intersecting one of the pockets of the mainconveyor thereof, and showing parts in changed position.

Fig. 3 is a diagrammatic view showing certain parts of the dischargingmeans, as seen in Fig. 2, in changed position.

Fig. 4 is a sectional end elevation of the machine, as may be takensubstantially on the section line 44 of Fig. 1.

Fig. 5 is a detail plan section of the machine, as may be taken on thesection line 55 of Fig. 4.

The machine illustrated, incorporating one embodiment of the invention,includes a frame comprising interconnected side-frame members I in theform of upright steel plates suitably secured on a base frame-work madeup of a series of transverse structural pieces 2.

Disposed between the side-frame members i is an intermittently drivenendless container conveyor 3 for intermittently advancing containers orbottles through the machine in inverted position to be cleaned and thendrained before being removed from the machine. The conveyor isdrum-shaped and comprises a series of circularly arranged equally spacedtransverse cleats 4 mounted at their ends upon ring-like wheels 5,respectively, with the cleats being in the form of channel ironsarranged with their flanges extending inward of the conveyor. The wheels5 are rotatably mounted respectively on centrally open bearings 6secured on the side-frame members I. The bearings are in the form ofcylindrical sections upon which the hubs I of the Wheels are mounted forrotation, with said sections extending through openings in thesideframes and terminating in lateral flanges 8 secured on the outerfaces of the side-frames.

Each cleat is provided with a longitudinal row of bottle holders orbottle-neck-receiving pockets H) for supporting the bottles H ininverted position upon the upper part of the conveyor to be washed andthen drained. The pockets are in the form of tubular sections ofresilient material, such as rubber, which extend through openings in thecleats toward the axis of the conveyor, and with each pocket having aflange l2 at its outer or receiving end secured to its cleat. Thus thepockets are capable of being slightly flexed onthe cleats from theirouter ends by force of any vibratory motion imparted to the bottlescarried thereby during intermittent movement of the conveyor, wherebysuch vibratory motion is absorbed by the pockets and whereby breakage ofthe bottles at their neck portions is materially prevented.

The conveyor is intermittently driven in counter-clockwise direction, asseen in Fig. l, and as the pockets are advanced into a horizontalposition on the upwardly moving side of. the conveyor, the bottles arefed therein, as at the station A, by automatic means, not shown.

Upon being fed to the conveyor the bottles are advanced thereon intransverse rows into an inverted position over a cleaner head M whichdirects jets of water under pressure into the bottles while the conveyoris at rest. Upon being advanced two steps beyond the cleaner head l4,during which time the bottles are allowed to drain, the bottles arebrought over an air-cleaner head l5 which directs jets of air into thebottles to dry same before they are removed from the conveyor. Thebottles are then advanced from the cleaner head It on the downwardlymoving side of the conveyor until they assume a reclining or horizontalposition, as at the station B, where they are removed from the conveyorby the discharging means of the invention, later described.

For driving the conveyor, each wheel 5 thereof is provided with aring-like gear "5 which meshes with a smaller gear ll secured on a shafti8 located below the conveyor and being rotatably mounted in bearings inthe side frames The shaft I8 is intermittently driven, so as to advancethe conveyor step by step, by a constantly rotating power shaft I9located therebelow and being rotatably mounted in bearings in the sideframes The power shaft drives the shaft l8 through a common Genevamotion connection including a crank-disc secured on one end of the powershaft, and having a crank pin 2| which, during a quarter of eachrevolution of the power shaft, is caused to engage within one of fourequally spaced radial slots 22 in the arms respectively of a star wheel23 secured on the shaft 8, thus causing said shaft to be advanced aquarter of a turn. The star wheel 23 is positively held after eachadvance thereof, by the crank-disc having a segmental cam-dwellformation 24 for cooperative engagement successively within theperipheral recesses 25 between the arms of the star wheel. The gears l6and I! are so proportioned that upon each quarter turn of the shaft It,the conveyor will be advanced an amount in accordance with the spacingof its transverse rows of bottle holders or pockets.

The discharging means of the invention will now be described. As thebottles are lowered on the conveyor into position at the station B, theyare caused to rest upon the upper edges respectively of a row ofinclined guides or chutes 3| mounted upon a transverse supporting bar 32secured at its ends on the side-frame members. The upper edge portions30 of the chutes are so spaced from the pockets at the station B,whereby the body portions of the bottles in the pockets will besupported on said edge portions at a point constituting the center ofgravity of the bottles. Thus the bottles are substantially balanced onthe edge portions of the chutes with the neck portions of the bottlesbeing capable of floating in the pockets at the station B,-wherebyremoval of the bottles from the pockets will be facilitated, in that theneck portions of the bottles will not tend to jam in the pockets in theevent the pockets do not register alike at the station.

As the bottles on the conveyor 3 approach the station B, the weight ofthe bottles will cause the pockets supporting same to become canted ortilted outwardly and downwardly from the conveyor until the bottlesinitially engage the top edges of the chutes. As the pockets continuedownward to the station B, the bottles therein will be caused to rock onsaid edge portions of the chutes into a horizontal position at thestation, whereby the pockets will be moved with the bottles into theirnormal position on the conveyor as they reach the said station. By thebottles being caused to rest on the top edge portions of the chutes attheir centers of gravity when at the station B, practically the fullweight of the bottles will be supported by the chutes, although thebottles may vary slightly in diameter. Thus the bottles will not tend tojam in the pockets before they are initially ejected therefrom, andejection of the bottles from the pockets will be easily effected.

As the bottles are lowered onto the upper edge portions of the chutes3|, they are brought into cooperative relation with a bottle discharginghead 33 which ejects the bottles from the pockets at the station B,whereupon the bottles are caused to tilt over on the chutes and slidethereon into a tilted position upon an inclined shelf 34,

as at the station C, preparatory to being conveyed from the machine.

The discharging head comprises an elongated plate 35 extending betweenthe side-frame members and normally positioned adjacent the outer endsof the pockets at the station B, with the plate having a row ofbottle-neck-receiving recesses or notches 36 in its upper edgeregistering respectively with the pockets at the station and formingbottle shoulder-engaging abutments 31 therebetween. The plate 35 ismounted upon a cross-piece 38 whose ends are respectively secured on theupper ends of vertically disposed levers 39 which are fulcrumedintermediate their ends, as at 40, on the side-frame membersrespectively. The levers 39 are so arranged and operably connected withthe power shaft whereby, as the conveyor is caused to dwell after eachadvance thereof, the discharging head is moved back and forth in thegeneral direction of the axes of the bottles at the station B to causethe abutments 31 of the head to engage the shoulders of the bottles andeject same from the pockets.

The levers 39 are connected with the power shaft, by each lever havingits lower end pivotally connected, through a link 4|, with one end of aU shaped lever 52 fulcrumed at its central por tion to one of the sideframes, and having rollers on its arm portions engaging opposite sidesof'a cam 43 securedon the power shaft, with said cam being formed tooperate the discharging head in time relation with the conveyor.

The shelf 34 extends between the side-frame members on which arebrackets 44 for supporting the ends of the shelf. The shelf has an outerhorizontal portion 45 continuing into an inner inclined portion 46 uponwhich the bottles are supported at the station C, with the shelf beingprovided with a rubber pad 4'! to prevent breakage of the bottles asthey fall thereon from the station B.

Upon being placed at the station C, the bottles are shifted from theshelf and onto an endless conveyor 48 upon which they are conveyed fromthe machine in upright position. The conveyor 48 comprises an endlesssprocket chain with cleated links arranged to travel in an upper activestretch alongside and in the plane of the outer portion of the shelf bybeing supported on spaced guide-rails 49 mounted on brackets 50 of theside-frame members. The chain is supported at one end of its. stretchesupon an idler sprocket 5| secured on a shaft 52 rotatably mounted inbearings in one of the brackets 53. Although not shown, it will beunderstood that the other end of the conveyor is suitably supported andso driven whereby the conveyor is caused to convey a row of bottles fromthe machine before another row is placed thereon.

For shifting a row of bottles from the shelf and onto the conveyor 48,an ejector head 53 is employed. The said head comprises a crosspiece 54mounted upon the upper ends of two similar oscillating levers 55 securedon a rockshaft 53 which extends under the conveyor 48 and is rotatablymounted in hearings in the brackets 50. Mounted on the cross-piece 54 isa row of pusher members 51 which are in the form of chute-like sectionsarranged below and in alignment with the chutes 3|, respectively, forcooperating with the chutes in supporting the bottles on the shelf 34 ina tilted position. The levers 55 are so arranged and so operablyconnected with the power shaft that, as the dis charging head 33 isretracted, the ejector head is oscillated over the shelf, whereby itshifts the row of bottles from the shelf onto the conveyor 48.

For operating the ejector head, the rock-shaft 58 has a lever 58pivotally connected, through a link 59, with the free end of anoscillating lever 6i] operated by a cam 6| on the power shaft, with thelever 6|] being fulcrumed on a bracket 62 on the base-frame-work andhaving a roller engaging the cam. The lever is maintained in engagementwith the cam 6| .by means of two tension springs 63 connectedrespectively between the levers 55 and the base frame-work.

Although the power shaft I9 may be driven by any suitable driving means,said shaft is driven by an electric motor 65 through the intermediationof a speed-reducer 66 operably connected with the power shaft throughsuitable gearing B1.

The rubber bottle holders or pockets herein disclosed form generally thesubject-matter of my Patent No. 2,105,795, of January 18, 1938.

Having thus described my invention, I claim:

1. The combination with a conveyor arranged to convey a bottle with anextended neck in inverted position and then lower same to a givenstation in reclining position and having a pocket adapted to snuglyreceive the neck of the bottle, said pocket being resilient and arrangedto be capable of tilting on the conveyor from a normal position by forceof weight of a bottle therein as it approaches said station, of meansfor directing the bottle from the station including means for engagementwith the bottle at a point adjacent the center of gravity thereof as itapproaches the station and arranged whereby during final movement of thepocket to the station the bottle will be ,balanced on said engagementmeans and rock thereon into position at the station and the pocket willbe moved with the bottle into its normal position on the conveyor.

2. The combination with a conveyor arranged to intermittently advance asuccession of bottles in inverted position and then lower same to agiven station in reclining position and having pockets adapted to snuglyreceive the necks of the bottles respectively, said pockets beingresilient and arranged to be capable of tilting from a normal positionon the conveyor by force of weight of the bottles therein as theyapproach said station, of means for transporting the bottles from thestation including means for engagement with each bottle at a pointadjacent the center of gravity thereof as it approaches the station andarranged whereby during final movement of each pocket to the station thebottle therein will be balanced on said engagement means and rockthereon into position at the station and the pocket will be moved withthe bottle into its normal position on the conveyor.

3. The combination with a conveyor arranged to convey a bottle with anextended neck in inverted position and then lower same to a givenstation in horizontal position and having a pocket adapted to snuglyreceive the neck of the bottle, said pocket being resilient and arrangedto be capable of tilting from a normal position on the conveyor by forceof weight of the bottle therein as it approaches the station, of meansfor transporting the bottle from the station in-, cluding an inclinedguide for guiding the bottle as same is transported and having an upperedge arranged for engagement with the bottle at a point adjacent thecenter of gravity thereof as it approaches the station and wherebyduring final movement of the pocket to the station the bottle will bebalanced on said edge and rock thereon into horizontal position at thestation and the pocket will be moved with the pocket into its normalposition on the conveyor.

4. The combination with a conveyor arranged to intermittently advance asuccession of bottles in inverted position and then lower same to agiven station in reclining position and having pockets adapted to snuglyreceive the necks of the bottles, said pockets being resilient andarranged to be capable of tilting from a normal position on the conveyorby force of weight of the bottles therein as they approach the station,of means for transporting the bottles from the station including aninclined guide for guiding the bottles as they are transported andhaving an upper edge arranged for engagement with each bottle at a pointadjacent the center of gravity thereof as it approaches the station andwhereby during final movement ofeach pocket to the station the bottletherein will be balanced on said edge and rock thereon into position atthe station and the pocket will be moved with the bottle into its normalposition on the conveyor.

IVAN H. RISSER.

